Article on Pit Bulls

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I was scrolling online a found some articles written up about BSL vs. Dangerous dog laws.

Here is one from the University of Florida's newspaper.

Pit bulls focus of county dog debate

By BRENT STEINBERG
Alligator Contributing Writer

http://www.alligator.org/pt2/images/news/050804pitbull.jpg
Graham Hunley / Alligator
Clay Pederson, 25, plays with Rebel, a 6-year-old American Pit Bull on Wednesday. Pederson is a graduate student in the plant medicine program. Rebel belongs to a friend of his, but he said she does not show hostility to strangers.

People shrink in fear from Honey, a 2-year-old, 50-pound, red-nosed pit bull at first sight. The images of bleeding flesh, vicious dog fights and sensationalized news headlines come to mind as she approaches.

But all Honey craves is a little love and attention.

"A lot of people are scared of her at first," said her owner, Garrett Hodge, a fourth-year psychology major at UF. "But once people get to know her, they all fall in love with her. She is really a sweet dog."

Honey has never shown any signs of aggression and has always been well-behaved, Hodge said. However, like many other pit bulls, she is perceived by strangers as vicious and unpredictable.

In recent months, there have been numerous highly publicized pit-bull attacks across the nation. A pit bull bolted through a window and severely injured a sheriff's deputy while he was checking on an Alachua County residence in April.

Many cities across the nation are taking action.

Denver recently became the third major metropolis to ban pit bulls from its city limits, joining Miami and Cincinnati.

Pit bull typically describes three kinds of dogs: the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Ray Sim, director of Alachua County Animal Services, said the county was considering ways to strengthen its dangerous-dog enforcement.

"We're looking at the potential of not permitting anyone to harbor or maintain a dangerous dog in our county limits," Sim said. "From the aspect of how we make our community safer, it's a strong step."

A dog can be classified as dangerous after it engages in dog fighting activities, repeats unprovoked aggressive behavior or attacks a human once or another animal twice. A dog can also be classified as aggressive if it severely injures or kills a companion animal.

Pit bulls have been at the center of the firestorm of debate. Sim could not estimate how many pit bulls were living in Alachua County, but he said it was evident the breed is extremely popular.

He said any changes to current law would not focus on a specific breed. One thing Sim said the county may consider is an additional restriction on tethering, in which a leash, chain or cord attached to a dog's collar is anchored at one end. Earlier this month, Orange County banned chaining dogs outdoors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sim said a tethered dog is denied the social interaction it desires, which may create aggressive behavior. There are restrictions on the weight and length of the chain, but he said such ordinances are difficult to enforce.

"You can write the ordinance, and hopefully people will comply," Sim said. "If we observe an infraction, we will take measures, but we can't go door to door."

Michelle Dunlap, owner of Gainesville Canine Academy, blames owners for the majority of attacks.

"If you chain a dog to a tree for six years, what do you think he is going to do if he breaks free?" Dunlap said.

She said the lack of socialization is a main determinant of aggressive behavior, estimating that 85 percent of attacks come from animals that are not socialized. Chaining a pit bull for an extended period could triple the likelihood of an attack, she said.

Dunlap and other animal experts agree spaying or neutering dogs is another vital component of dog safety. She said eight of the nine times she has been severely bitten by a dog, it was by an intact, or not neutered, male.

"Certain populations value pit bulls for its aggression and strength," she said.

"But when you breed strong, aggressive dogs, that's not a pit bull - that's a freak of nature."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pit bulls have area neighborhood nervous


By CINDY SWIRKO

Sun staff writer


http://www.gainesville.com/images/dropcaps/A.gif Gainesville subdivision feels it's under attack. Folks don't feel safe walking outside. They call the police for help. They call city commissioners. They point fingers at neighbors.

It's not burglars or drug dealers that have Springtree residents on edge. It's dogs. Specifically, pit bulls in their neighborhood off of NW 34th Street.

And their plight has triggered a discussion here that mirrors one occurring throughout the country and around the world - what can be done about dangerous dogs? Are more restrictions needed, or maybe outright banning of some breeds?

"It's scary," Springtree resident Neil Beckerman said of the dog situation. "These are snarling, growling, aggressive dogs. That's different from just woof, woof."

Florida law prohibits breed-specific bans, though Miami-Dade County enacted an ordinance before the law and that has been grandfathered in.

The Gainesville City Commission's Public Safety Committee has been discussing dangerous dog problems. Those talks have included limiting the number of dogs people can own or the size of dogs.

It's a dilemma that governments are dealing with elsewhere, and it is a tricky business.

St. Paul, Minn., for instance, bans wolf-dog hybrids. The ban was enacted after several cases in which the creatures attacked people and other animals. But owners of some confiscated hybrids say their dogs are in fact a different breed - malamutes - and should not be euthanized.

Recent attacks by pit bulls on schoolchildren in New Mexico have prompted one state legislator there to pledge to introduce legislation specifically banning the breeding of pit bulls. Gov. Bill Richardson has called for greater limits on dangerous dogs, but not breed-specific restrictions.

Meanwhile, several European counties ban a variety of dogs, including the well-known pit bull and the lesser known - at least in the United States - tosa inu and fila brasileiro breeds. The tosa inu originates from Japan and the fila brasileiro from Brazil.

Many dog trainers and others who work with dogs say breed-specific legislation is not a solution to dealing with attacking dogs. Some breeds of smaller dogs can be aggressive, while pit bulls can be loyal, loving pets.

"Gainesville is so unique in that the pit bull is Gainesville's Labrador. I'd venture to say there are as many pit bulls and pit bull mixes here than any other breed, and in a very good way," said Michelle Dunlap, owner of Gainesville Canine Academy. "It's all how you accessorize. When you see a pit bull with his ears (not cropped), you know you have a pretty good owner. When you see a girl pit bull with flowery paraphernalia, you know there's a great owner. They are not there for the toughness."

Many of the laws regarding dogs and other animals in Florida originate in state statutes.

Floridians cannot have as pets potentially dangerous animals such as bears or big cats - no lions, tigers, jaguars or leopards. People can have them for a specific use - rescue facilities or animal entertainment, for instance - but they must be permitted and adhere to restrictions on the acreage, fencing and other requirements, said Karen Parker of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"You can't just have big, carnivorous cats in your house," Parker said. "Animal welfare and public safety are the driving concerns behind this."

Restrictions also exist on venomous snakes, exotic reptiles such as Komodo dragons and native wildlife such as alligators.

The state also has restrictions on wolf-dog hybrids if the animal's dog bloodlines amount to 25 percent or less.

Florida does not allow counties to ban specific breeds of dogs, but Alachua County and many other counties have regulations that deal with aggressive and dangerous dogs.

Alachua County designates problem dogs into two categories - aggressive and dangerous.

A dog can be declared aggressive by Alachua County Animal Services after one attack on a person or another pet that occurs off the dog owner's property. Aggressive dogs must be kept in an enclosure or on a leash. Warning signs must be posted at its home.

A dog can be designated dangerous after after one attack on a person or two on another animal. Restrictions include neutering and confinement of the dog.

Alachua County ordinances have been the focus of the Gainesville City Commission's Public Safety Committee, which includes Commissioners Tony Domenech and Ed Braddy.

Dog attacks on other animals or people occur frequently.

County commissioners created the aggressive dog designation in March after a Newberry woman's Jack Russell terrier was killed by marauding dogs.

Last year, roaming mixed breed dogs killed six cats and injured another dog in the Florida Park neighborhood in northwest Gainesville.

A Springtree resident shot a pit bull as it was attacking a person about two years ago.

Dog issues have continued at Springtree, sparking a review of dog policies by the Public Safety Committee.

"I have a neighbor who has two little children. She has a six-foot wood fence. She told me recently she looked out the window and there was a pit bull playing with her children. The dog had dug under to the yard. She said this happened on more than one occasion," Springtree resident Kathy Meiss said. "There have been other families with little children who have been approached by dogs that have gotten loose."

The committee has discussed ways to try to prevent dog problems, including potentially limiting the number of dogs that can be owned by city residents. Another possibility is limiting the size of dogs.

Neither suggestion got much of an endorsement from Domenech or Braddy.

Instead, they appear more likely to work toward greater enforcement of existing laws.

"We probably have sufficient tools to deal with everything I've been hearing about in the past several months," Domenech said. "If that's true, the question then becomes, has it not been enforced or have we just not gotten the information out?"

Alachua County Animal Services got a budget boost from the County Commission for 2005 and recently hired a new director, Ray Sim.

Sim said additional officers will be hired to try to improve service. That will include getting officers to respond more quickly to potentially dangerous situations with dogs.

"I do not doubt that we have not been as responsive as we could have been or would like to be," Sim said. "I think there is a lot that can be done if we can properly enforce."

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http://imgsrv.gainesvillesun.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GS&Date=20050101&Category=LOCAL&ArtNo=41231041&Ref=AR&Profile=1078&MaxW=300ZOOM (javascript:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoom.pbs&Site=GS&Date=20050101&Category=LOCAL&ArtNo=41231041&Ref=AR&Profile=1078');)http://www.gainesville.com/images/gvilledotcom/zoom.gif (javascript:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoom.pbs&Site=GS&Date=20050101&Category=LOCAL&ArtNo=41231041&Ref=AR&Profile=1078');)DAVID MASSEY/The Gainesville Sun Dog trainer Michelle Dunlap, owner of Gainesville Canine Academy, scratches the belly of Phoenix, a pit bull she has been working with for 1 1/2 years.

***The authur of the above written article stated to me that the county is opposed to BSL and that others in the area needn't worry about BSL.